PostgreSQL, or simply Postgres, is a type of object-oriented relational database management system (DBMS) under an open source license. It is considered one of the most reliable databases. It is most commonly used for web applications and web databases. One could say it is MySQL’s biggest competitor. PostgreSQL is basically developed to run on UNIX platforms, but has been ported to Linux, Windows, and macOS. The first official version was released on January 29, 1997. It was initially developed in the C programming language, but also has support for integration with programming languages such as Python, Perl, .NET, C++, Java, PHP, Ruby on Rails, and others. Postgres is the successor to Ingres, which was one of the database systems developed between 1977 and 1985. Officially, the author of PostgreSQL is Michael Stonebraker, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley (UCB). Stonebraker’s idea was to build a more advanced version of Ingres that was more robust with better performance. Stonebraker and his colleagues at UCB developed the Postgres database system for eight years (1986-1994). Stonebraker’s colleagues Andrew Yu and Jolly Chen further improved the developed system by replacing the POSTQUEL query language with the more popular and most commonly used SQL. This improved version was named Postgres95. After that, in 1996, Postgres95 first entered the software industry and became one of the most robust and most commonly used open source servers.

Features and Advantages of PostgreSQL

Open Source DBMS (Database Management System) — The first major advantage of using Postgres is that it is open source and can be customized according to developer requirements. This customization capability is extremely useful in developing large applications.

Large Development Community — Postgres has been on the market for more than 15 years and its community is currently extremely large, which means good support and help in solving problems related to its operation and use.

Cost-Effectiveness — Postgres is extremely economical and does not require much user training to learn how to use and program for this database. Also, the requirements for maintaining and configuring a Postgres database are relatively small compared to other database management systems.

Portability — A good thing about Postgres is that it is portable and transferable to almost all major platforms and programming languages. This database is ideal for applications intended for multiple platforms.

Development Tools and GUI — The Postgres database server does not require extensive command line configuration. Several tools and GUI interfaces have been developed that can help you easily install and manage the database server.

Reliability and Stability — Postgres is globally recognized as the safest and most stable database. The chances of database corruption are minimal, and even if the database crashes, there are methods and functions that allow you to recover and restore data.

Disadvantages of PostgreSQL

Performance — For simple read and delete operations, PostgreSQL achieves worse results compared to, for example, MySQL.

Popularity — It is definitely not as widespread as other database systems and therefore does not have such strong support.

Hosting — It is not as widely available among providers and hosting service providers.

What We Think About PostgreSQL

It is most often compared to MySQL. What we believe is the biggest problem is that PostgreSQL has less support and a smaller community compared to MySQL. Regardless of the results of various speed tests, you will hear various opinions about whether PostgreSQL is really faster or slower than MySQL. Those who work on Postgres will certainly praise it compared to other systems of that type, and that should certainly be respected. We have the impression that PostgreSQL is not as media-represented and marketing-supported as MySQL, and especially Oracle and MS SQL Server. But all in all, PostgreSQL is a highly recommended database, especially for those systems and organizations that prefer using freeware and open source software. It is a robust, fast, and extremely stable database.